Holding on to Love
by Desert Rose123124
Summary: Yami loves Yugi, but Yugi loves Ryou. Can a trip to the lake help Yami see that there is already someone that loves him? I don't like the summary much, but the story's good! Promise! formally without a title, now thanks to a friend, it has one. YAY!


"Yami! Come on in! The water's great!"

Oh my angel, if only you could see yourself... Dripping with water, your swimming trunks, the only clothing hiding your lithe form, hanging low on your hips, and beckoning to me with a serene smile on your face. So beautiful, so full of life and innocence. That beauty which draws me in, and makes me long to make you truly _my_ angel. Mine and mine alone. "Yaammi! Cooomme on!" You whine, so impatient you are my hikari. I imagine you on my bed, saying the same thing... No! I can't think like this! I am your other half, your protector and friend! I can't push this upon you! Especially when you could never be mine. You already belong to another, don't you little one? The white haired light of the thief comes up behind you and spins you around. Your cry of surprise is cut off as he places his lips on yours. You melt into it and kiss him back, forgetting all about me and your endeavors to get me in the water. I can still remember that day, when he first walked through that door... The day I began to lose any hold I could ever wish to have on you...

~Flashback~

"Did you hear? There's a new student transferring into our class!" one off the mindless girls in your class says excitedly. _Oh I hope we can get along._ You think as the door rolls back to reveal the mystery student. Even though your mind denies thinking it, your subconscious whispered to me that you found him appealing, and when he spoke, your heart raced. When he was placed by Jou-kun, you were disappointed, yet you still knew you would get a chance to speak to the white haired student. You told yourself it was simply your want to be his friend, but I knew better. You didn't realize it, you were not fully aware of my presence, but I materialized beside you during that break. I saw the look on your face as you looked at him when no one was watching. I doubt even you know about the looks you sent him. They were content, and for a minute I didn't realize where I had seen such a look till I saw myself in a girls compact. They were the same looks I would give to you, my lovely light! Oh how I wanted to weep, but I didn't. Instead I studied this pale student that had captured your attention. I tried to look at him thru your eyes little one, I really did that day. All I saw was a boy afraid of his own shadow. As I returned to the puzzle, I vowed that I would not turn you over to him till I was certain of his worth.

~End Flashback~

Eventually you did admit to yourself that you were attracted to other men, and not that ditzy girl Anzu. I thought, at least for awhile, that maybe we could be together, that we could be more than just friends and partners. But it would seem I was wrong. Separating the yami's from their hikari's and giving them their own bodies allowed us all to grow in ways we didn't think possible. The yami's, Bakura, Mariku, and I, learned to be a bit more lenient when it came to punishments. We had to, now that everything could be traced to us. The hikari's, you, Marik, and Ryou, grew bold. You had to, we couldn't go to school to protect you, no matter how much I had wanted to. Did you ever find out that I had stal- _watched over you_ those first few weeks after I had acquired my own body? Bakura was the one who made me stop, going as far as tying me to a chair to prove that you could make it a day without me. He made me realize that I had to let you grow stronger, that you wouldn't learn anything by me jumping in to save you all the time. That's when it happened. You were in trouble, and I wasn't there to save you... But Ryou was. He's the one that saved you, not I... Do you think it would have been different? If it had been _me_ and not him? Would you have loved me? I'll never know will I?

" You should just be happy for them"

I jumped and turned to see Bakura leaning against a tree. Even here at the lake he was dressed in jeans, a blue and white striped t-shirt, black boots, and his trademark leather overcoat. He wasn't looking at me though, he was still looking at the two in the water. "Worrying over what might have been is a waste of energy, you can't turn back time so quit wishing you could. Besides, their happy. Doesn't that account for something?" He asks as his gaze turns to me, searching. I barely suppress a shiver, relieving how naked I am compared to him. The only thing adorning my body was a pair of crimson trunks, and a white t-shirt. I look away from his probing gaze to the love of my life and his love, whom have begone to play in the water, completely forgetting us in their haste. I draw my knees to my chest and wrap my arms around them. "When did you become so profound?" I ask him instead of answering his question. If he is annoyed, he doesn't show it. Instead he sits beside me and reclines on his forearms. "I suppose I was always this way, just to busy trying to enact revenge to say anything useful." He replies. We sit in silence for some time, before either of us spoke " I suppose I can be happy for them... But it can't stop me from wanting something more... It can't stop me from loving him..." I tell him. From the corner of my eye I see him look at me. I turn my face from him, not wanting to see his look of pity. I hear the rustle of fabric and assume he is getting up to leave. Instead I feel fingers under my chin turning me to face him. When I look at him, all I see is calm adoration. " Then perhaps you should try loving another." He says before closing the distance between us slowly, even his grip on my chin was almost non existent. He was giving me time to pull away! Instead I grew closer. It was for selfish reasons though. I simply wanted to feel another person's lips on my own. It wasn't because I felt anything for him... At least that's what I told myself. I tried to deny the pounding of my heart, telling myself it was simply the fact that I had never been this close to the thief before. Our lips molded together... And that was it! Bakura didn't try anything rough like I was expecting, instead he hesitated to brush against my lips with force any stronger than you would expect from a light caress. I was... shocked! He withdrew from me quickly and looked into my eyes. We sat like that, and just as I was about to lean into another kiss, he sighed and let go of me. "My apologies" he whispered before getting up and walking away. I touched my lips as he left. _Why would he..._ I couldn't even finish the thought. "Yami! You coming or what?" Yugi shouted to me. Bakura turned to look at me as I turned to look at him. He still looked as he did before, but perhaps, maybe, he had lost some of that awe inspiring allure he had over me. I looked back to Bakura, whom had taken to looking at the ground, his fists clenched tightly and his hair covering his face.

I had a choice to make, I realized. I could go with Yugi, and dream of what could be, hoping that someday he would return my affections, or I could go with Bakura, and be loved by him now... But wouldn't that be just using him? Did I even deserve to be loved? What should I choose?

~Bakura's POV~

Who has I kidding? The pharaoh and I together? I just know somewhere the gods are laughing at me. I could see the look in his eyes now. He'll chose to pine for his hikari, and I, the Great Evil Thief King, will be pushed aside. I cant watch, hell I can't even stand to hear him say the words I know he will. 'Yugi, I would love to swim with you.' And he'll go, sending the boy the smile that I wish I could receive. I fish out the music playing device Ryou gave me for Christmas last year. I stuff the last ear bud in my ear just as Yami began, "Yugi..."

~Yami's POV~

"Yugi... I'm sorry, but I think I'm going to stay here with Bakura." I tell the boy. Something flashes in his eyes, before he grins. "OK Yami, have fun!" he shouts back before tackling Ryou and sending them into the water. I stand and turn to Bakura, or rather, where Bakura was once standing. I see a glimpse of white and black disappear into the forest and take off running for it. I made my choice, now to make sure I follow through with it.

~Bakura's POV~

_I give up dammit! No more! I'm done, finished, kaput! I tried my best and in the end all I got was heartache. Remind me to slap my hikari upside the head when we get home! He's the one who told me to "act on my feelings". What a load of bull. Sure it worked for him! But I'm not him, and Yami isn't Yugi! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!_ I continued to berate myself as I walked off through the forest. _I should have known better by now, I'm suppose to be alone!_ "...kura!" I heard a shout. Probably Ryou coming to apologize. Well I don't need his pity! Screw 'em all, I'm taking off for a bit! I'll come back when I'm ready! "...Kuuurraaaa!" I ignore it and come to a clearing with a stump in the center. I strode over and sit down cross-legged. "Bakura!" He's in the clearing now, but I don't turn around. "Go away Ryou, your advice didn't work. He still choose Yugi in the end." A hand is placed on my shoulder. "First of all," he says, before taking out one of my ear buds, "I'm not Ryou." I turn my head to see Yami smiling at me, and my heart skips a beat, only to double in speed. Sure it's not the same as the smile he sends at his hikari, but this one is different. This one is for me, and me alone. "And second of all, I didn't choose Yugi. I chose you, Bakura." I'm shocked. Here he is in front of me, choosing me over his light. "Yami..." I whisper before he leans down to kiss me. "But there is one thing I need to confess before we go any further." he says as he pulls back. "What?" I ask, knowing that he couldn't have done anything to make me upset with me. "I don't feel the same way for you as you do me, not yet anyway." He says, sitting beside me on the stump as I make room for him. "Will you give me a chance to make you fall for me?" I ask him in an almost sarcastic tone. He looks at me for a long time, and I simply stare into his eyes. He's vulnerable right now, so scared of what could happen, but behind that is the wish to be loved and the strength to try to love in return. As I watched those things pushed the fear away and he nodded. I grinned and pulled him to me and gave him another kiss. "Thank you" I whispered as I pulled away for a breath. Suddenly the sounds of clapping and cheering filled the clearing. We turned to the noise to see Ryou and Yugi clapping like mad for us. I smiled and held the blushing pharaoh closer to me. "Finally you two!" Ryou called. "I'm happy for you guys!" Yugi said after. Yami buried his face into my jacket. "Thank You, Thank You, now if you don't mind, shoo, we were in the middle of something." I told them with a playful glare toward Ryou. "Oh, OK then, I guess we'll just eat your share of the food, oh and by the way Kura, I made potato salad" He teased. "And I made the sandwiches Yami" Yugi added. Yami looked up at me as I looked at him. An understanding flowed through us and we nodded at the same time. "LAST ONE THERE'S A ROTTEN EGG!" we shouted as we ran through the clearing together, passed our smug hikaris, toward the food they had made.

~Ryou's POV~

I smirked as the hungry yami's ran passed us. "Told ya all they needed was a push" I told my koi as I wound an arm around his waist and set off at a more reasonable pace. "Yeah, but we still didn't know how Yami would react. I thought for sure when Bakura walked away all our planning had gone down the drain." he said as we walked, unaware of me subtly leading us in another direction. "Yes, well the important thing is that it did work and now we have more time to ourselves. Now come on, I hid a picnic basket around here some where," I told him as I planted a kiss in his soft hair. "But what about Yami and Kura?" he asked. I stopped and he looked at me. "What about them? They know how to feed themselves, and besides, I've been feeling lonely. It's time you made it up to me for that." I smirked at him. He smiled as well and his eyes got that mischievous spark that I just loved. "Of course koi" He replied happily. I pulled the picnic basket out from behind the tree. "Then let's eat"

One thing was certain, We would need to visit this lake more often. We might even drag those stubborn people, Joey and Seto, next time.

~The End!~

Well what do you guys think? I started working on this late at night so I'm not sure how it is, but FINALLY I posted Something! so yeah, just review and stuffs, I don't mind. Plus, can any one come up with a good name? Many thanks to the cooing pharaoh Daisuke, for giving me a title...Oh and tell me of any mistakes, I don't want to leave any!


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